There is no trace of Peter Parker in Tom Holland’s performance in Cherry. Though it may feel familiar to see him paired up with the Russo brothers, his character’s story of PTSD and addiction is breaking entirely new ground for the young rising star.
Holland spoke to Screen Rant about rising to the challenge both physically and mentally, but he also took the time to share his most anticipated MCU offerings.
This might be the most raw and open performance that you've done on screen yet. How did you find the look of Cherry? I know you mentioned how Nico's voice in the book almost has this poetry slam way about him. Can you talk to me about finding the character?
Tom Holland: Yeah, it was an incredibly difficult one to figure out, because we're trying to tell the story of someone developing over the course of 20 years in two hours. It required a lot of strategic planning as to how we were going to develop his arc.
Throughout the film, there are six mini-arcs in the chapters of the film, so finding the connective tissue between each version of Cherry was really quite difficult. But it all boiled down to preparing and researching. I must have interviewed 30 different veterans who had all been suffering from PTSD and substance abuse, so getting to know their stories and hearing what they had been through was so influential in the deg of this character.
Emotionally, this had to be one of the toughest roles you've ever done. But even physically, you went through quite a physical transformation. Can you talk to me about the preparation you had to do for this role?
Tom Holland: Yeah, that was what was so brutal about this film: losing the weight. For about three months before shooting, I started cutting weight. It was pretty simple. I just basically went for a run every day and didn't eat anything, so there was no fancy tricks in the way that I did it.
And then obviously, once we finished the dope life portion of the film, I started to put some weight back on and get the little puppy fat things going on, so I could do the whole innocent little kid thing. It was tough; necessary but tough.
A lot of actors learn about themselves when they choose challenging roles like this. How did you prepare for the mental challenge you were about to face?
Tom Holland: I think that was the one thing that I couldn't prepare myself for. When it comes to physical challenges, I'm no stranger to that. Playing Spider-Man is arguably the most physical role a young kid could play. But the mental aspect of making this film really knocked me on my ass. I just wasn't prepared for it day in and day out.
I the first day of shooting, we shot this scene where the camera flies down, and then it pushes into the house and I run down the stairs. That was the first day of filming, and I was exhausted. I the Russos saying, "Don't burn yourself out. We've got 70 days left." The emotional aspect of making this film was really, really tough.
Ciara is brilliant as well. Can you talk to me about working with her, and what she brought to the role of Emily that may have not been on the page?
Tom Holland: She brought so much to set, and we were so lucky to have her. She was so brave.
I think coming onto a film set where the leading actor and the two directors have worked together for six years must be very daunting. But if it was daunting to her, she never showed it. She was so brave, she was willing to be vulnerable, she was willing to make mistakes.
Whenever I had to go to these really dark places, she was right there with me. And we became like a team. If I fell to pieces, she'd be there to pick the pieces up and vice versa. And she's fantastic in this film, and the film wouldn't be half as good without her. We are so lucky that she was a part of this project.
What Marvel project are you most excited for after WandaVision? Not including Spider-Man 3.
Tom Holland: I mean, I'm loving WandaVision at the moment. It's easily one of my favorite Marvel shows I've ever seen. I'm obviously very excited for the Falcon and the Winter Soldier. I've got my famously strange and rocky relationship with those two, but I love them both. I'm excited to see how it works out. I think the Loki show looks really, really cool.
We've been pestering Marvel for weeks to see if they'll set up a screening for Black Widow for us, but they they haven't. If you're watching, Marvel sort it out because we want to watch!
